Our Trip Blog

The Events of Sunday, February 13, 2011

                Hidden Lake RV Park has some unusual features. As the name suggests, it surrounds a (manmade) lake, but it is not at all hidden. The sites farthest from the freeway are reserved for long termers. The short term spots, on the other side of the lake, were on the still 100-200 feet away from the noise, and we got a site on the 200-feet-away row. The two restrooms are in the same building as the office—on the other side of the lake from us. There were two restrooms; both labeled “Family Restroom.” They were clean and large, with a shower, a toilet, and a sink. For a campground with 50 or 60 sites, two toilets seemed too few.

                Ben and I showered before breakfast, and the ladies all showered afterward. Then we headed down the road to church. Our choice today was Temple Baptist Church in Gainesville, TX. We aimed for the 10:45 service, arriving about 10:40. So it came as a surprise to see many people leaving but nobody arriving. We headed for the most likely entrance and got redirected to a different door. On our way there, we were redirected again, and this time escorted to a third door at a newer building toward the back of the property. Our escort (who happened to be the only black member we saw during our visit) informed us that the main sanctuary houses the earlier more conservative service at 8:30. The newer auditorium is where they hold the more contemporary later service. I never did learn why we saw no others arriving, but my guess is that most members attend the Sunday School in the hour between services.

                It was a large auditorium furnished with seating I have never seen before. It was stackable like chairs but wide like mini-pews.  They would seat two adults or three children of normal width. Quite clever!

                Before the service started, a couple folks came over and greeted us, introducing themselves and inquiring politely about our reason for visiting. With a congregation size of 200-300, I appreciated their initiative and kind words. The singing time was odd. The worship leader, a man in his fifties, sang with good tone but little expression. The female vocalists likewise seemed emotionally flat, disconnected. The three male vocalists, on the other hand, were more animated and enthusiastic. Behind them were three musicians: keyboard, electric guitar, and electric bass. Pam commented afterward that they needed a percussionist to establish a tempo. Indeed, that might have improved things.  

                The lead pastor, Dr. Eddie Chennault, describes himself as “not the brightest Creole on the block but not the dumbest either.” He was in his sixties, had a slight limp, but spoke with boldness and charisma. The title of his sermon was “Marriage As God Intends It,” from Mark 10:1-12. Following are his main points: marriage is between a man and a woman; divorce seeks to end what God says is permanent; husband and wife should share the same nature (Christian with Christian); and faith in Christ and openness to his Spirit provide people power to attain everything that God intends for marriage. The boundary lines were clear, yet he caringly comforted people that struggle to live within these bounds. His way with words made us smile. He mentioned a liberal interpretation of a Genesis 1:18 and said there is a theological term for this: “hogwash”. To revise a modern proverb, he observed, “Before marriage, opposites attract. After marriage, opposites attack.” It was a good hearty sermon, and I was glad to hear it.

                Afterward we observed a strange method of making announcements. Dr. Chennault led announcements orally for several minutes, first mentioning some himself and then calling on others who were on stage (behind him) or in front of the stage, facing us (next to him). At the same time, the wall behind him showed projection slides of several church events. But the visual information and the audio information did not match up in any way. Maybe this was their way to cram many announcements into a short period of time.

                After church we returned to the RV, parked in the elementary school lot across the street, and had lunch. While eating, we discussed how to orchestrate the afternoon. We decided to go first to the “The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza” (where JFK was shot), then to Costco, then to our friend in Waco, Camille Beckham. For dinner we would be flexible, perhaps eating at Costco, perhaps at Camille’s, or perhaps at a restaurant in Waco (with Camille). Indeed, flexibility was crucial to our success this afternoon.  We arrived in Dallas about 3:00 and bought tickets to The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza. Pam and I visited this museum in 1990, on our return trip from Boston. But my, how things have changed! What before had been a simple exhibit with a dozen or so informational posters, we now toured an extensive collection of multimedia exhibits on two floors. With admission we also received an “audio guide”. We have enjoyed these before at some of our visits to mansions or historical sites. You receive an mp3 player (most often by the Antenna Audio brand) and a headset and you listen to the narrator as he comments on different locations. This is an excellent way to provide more information to visitors without hiring 200 new tour guides. But, as during the church announcements this morning, it was difficult for me to attend to the audio while reading the visual. (The information was similar, but the wording was different.) Maybe I have some sort of information processing disorder. My brain seems to cry out, “One at a time! One at a time!” So that is what I did. I listened for a while, then pushed the stop button and read for a while. The museum, we agreed, served its purpose of informing us of the assassination event. Apart from that, it offered little. While yesterday’s visit to the Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum challenged and inspired me, today’s museum left me unmoved.   

                After the museum, we also wanted to walk outside to visit the various sites and monuments. We received a “cell phone tour guide” which was supposed to help us learn more about the various sites. But traffic noise made it difficult to hear the phone. We walked over to the modernistic John F. Kennedy Memorial Plaza, then to an old cabin that Pam remembers from a previous visit. We searched for a plaque or informational kiosk to find out the reason for the cabin, but we found none. So it is only by researching on the internet that we learned it is a reconstruction of the home of the first area resident, John Neely Bryan.

                By this time was almost six o’clock, so we returned to the RV and made plans for our next step. We learned that Costco closes at six, so we called Camille and agreed to meet at a favorite Thai restaurant in Waco. After a few minutes, she called us back to let us know she had been unable to reach the Thai place and that perhaps they were closed. So we did some more investigating and ended up at a colorful place called Elite Waco. They pride themselves on good authentic food in an historic atmosphere, and that is indeed what we got. Arriving for a late dinner at 7:45, we were ushered into a back room that we would have to ourselves. Ben ordered the King Ranch Casserole, a Texas tradition with “layers of chicken, jack cheese, corn tortillas and 3 pepper cream sauce topped with cheddar and jack cheese”, but they were out, so he had the chicken tenders. Pam ordered the half rack of ribs, but they were out so she had the French dip sandwich. I enjoyed grilled redfish with “borracho beans” and baked potato. Caitlin was excited to order her new favorite, chicken fried steak while Lindsey and Abby ordered humongous burgers. Camille had an exotic-looking chicken salad served inside a pineapple rind. By the end of the meal, all of us were too full for dessert. So Pam and I agreed that we’ll return here for a Valentine’s dinner tomorrow night.